The Dreamer and The King
by TheDaydreamingArtist
Summary: Mari Johnson was used to her daydreams and the chaos that ensued but her family was tired of it. When she gets suspended from school, she reaches her breaking point and gets whisked away to a foreign land that she didn't even know existed. But why do her daydreams seem to increase while she's there? Why does the handsome yet secretive Just King appear in so many of her daydreams?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia nor do I own the characters that are introduced in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I only own my OC Mari and any other characters that sound unfamiliar in the story.**

* * *

"Just put 10 milliliters of sulphuric acid in the boiling tube with substance B and heat it gently," my lab partner Shania muttered, motioning to me to do as she said.

I picked up a boiling tube from the rack that we had managed to grab before the hoard of teenage girls in my class even got to the Chemistry lab. I carefully placed a spatula of substance B in the tube and poured in the acid that Shania had measured beforehand. I swirled the tube absentmindedly as my mind went to other places. Chemistry was by far one of my favourite subjects and lab days were the best days of my school week. Having the ability to separate chemicals and create other chemicals excited and relaxed me. Performing labs put me in an almost hypnotic trance where I didn't notice what I was doing…and that tended to get me in trouble.

It was known around Northwest Girls' High School that I, Mari Johnson was the cause of every lab accident that happened in the school. It was never intentional, but my mind wandered and caused me to daydream about knights in shining armor saving the damsel in distress (I was always the damsel, but I didn't mind it). My daydreams were far more entertaining than my normal life and I wished that wasn't the case. I yearned for something or someone to take me away from my boring life. I felt hands push me lightly, knocking me out of my thoughts. "Oh, for heavens' sake Mari! Focus!" Shania scolded.

I jumped. How long was I out? I grinned sheepishly as I stopped swirling the boiling tube, "Sorry…what do we have to do now?"

Huffing in frustration, Shania handed me a pair of forceps, "Heat the boiling tube. I already prepped the Bunsen Burner for you."

I saluted her jokingly and proceeded to fit the tube in the forceps. Soon I gently held the test tube over the bright blue flame of the Bunsen Burner but my mind quickly took over and I succumbed to my daydreams. My current daydream involved me being in the midst of a vicious battle. I was dressed in a floor length, maroon dress with sleeves that reached my wrists. Chain mail and armor covered my chest, shoulders and arms and in my hands was a bow that I was in the middle of notching an arrow to. I raised the bow and took aim at the oncoming enemy. I could feel the tension building as I pulled the string and with a resounding "Twack" I released the arrow and watched it sail into the soldier that it was directed to.

Soon however, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of men that tried to take me out. I could feel myself getting weaker. The quiver strung across my back started to get lighter as I quickly ran out of arrows. It wouldn't be long until I would be overpowered and defeated. Maybe the opposing side would take pity on me and capture me as a hostage…or they would be merciless and kill me right on the spot. Before my fears could be made into reality, a man on a chestnut coloured horse arrived and began to cut down my enemies before my eyes. The battle came to a standstill and I stared in awe as the mysterious man dismounted his horse and began to take off his helmet.

A scream cut my daydream short before I could see the face of my hero and I jumped in surprise as I was brought back to the real world. "Mari!" Shania screeched.

My gaze was fixed on the fire that started in my boiling tube. I let go of the forceps and watched in horror as the boiling tube broke on the wooden workbench which caused the fire to spread. The fire alarm blared overhead as my fellow students rushed out of the chemistry lab in mild panic. I was rooted in my spot in shock until my Chemistry teacher thankfully pulled me out of the room before I was engulfed in flames.

* * *

The car was deathly silent as my mother drove us home. After the entire school was evacuated, the fire services showed up to extinguish the blaze. As a result of my mishap, school ended early and my mother was called to the principal's office. I could tell as soon as she walked into the school building that she wasn't happy with me…she never was but in that moment, as I sat outside the principal's office, I could tell that she was furious with me. I glanced at my mum in the driver's seat nervously. "She's not going to blow up on me yet," I thought miserably, "She's gonna wait until we get home."

Sure enough as we entered the house, my mother turned on me angrily. "Mari Anya Johnson! Suspended! Never would I have thought that one of my children would ever get suspended from school!" She yelled.

I jumped and was quick to defend myself. I protested helplessly, "It wasn't intentional! I never mean to do it mum!"

The woman in front of me rounded on me so rapidly that I almost backed away. "It's always 'I didn't mean to do it' with you, Mari. You daydream too much for your age and it's not doing you any good," Mum scolded.

I opened my mouth to protest again but she gave me a stern look before I could get any words out. "You're almost seventeen. When will you grow up Mari?" She asked, disappointed as she retreated to her bedroom.

I was alone in the living room and I slumped tiredly on the couch. Allowing a few tears to escape my dark brown eyes, I consumed myself in my thoughts. I never meant to daydream, it just…happened and I couldn't stop them from disrupting my daily life. It also didn't help that those daydreams led my mother to believe that I was childish and wasn't ready to enter the adult world. I cried silently at my dilemma until I noticed that the ground was shaking. "An earthquake?" I questioned.

I immediately stood to try and take cover under a table, but my eyes widened in shock as the walls started to crumble away like dust. The shaking subsided but instead of being in my living room, I was in the middle of a forest.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia nor do I own the characters that are introduced in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I only own my OC Mari and any other characters that sound unfamiliar in the story.**

* * *

I looked around at my surroundings, my panic growing the more my brain processed what was going on. This was not my house…my house was no where near a forest. I knelt down to feel the soft, green grass I was surrounded by. There was no way this was a dream, the grass felt too real. Heck everything felt too real. I pinched myself for good measure, just in case it was actually a dream and I winced as pain blossomed from the area that I just pinched. It was actually real. I had no idea what my next plan of action was. I was in an unfamiliar place and my instincts told me that I should stay where I was and wait for someone to find me. My brain kicked in and reminded me that I appeared to be the only person in this place and I needed to find someone…anyone to help me out. I looked around at the towering trees and the thick bushes and took my first hesitant steps into the new world.

* * *

It felt like I was walking for hours. My white sneakers hurt my feet, my plaid skirt felt heavy and dragged me down and the mild heat from the forest made strands of my dark brown hair come out of its braid. Though I had to admit that the scenery made my pain non-existent for a while. Lush trees loomed over me and gave the surroundings a cool green hue. Brightly coloured flowers that had sweet scents far stronger than where I was from littered the paths and I was tempted to pick them and thread the buds through my braid. "Better not do that…" I thought, "Just in case the flowers are poisonous."

Movement from the bushes beside me brought me out of my musings and I backed away in fear. "who's there?" I asked, trying to muster up my bravest voice.

I was in a place that I didn't know about and I didn't know anything about the creatures or people that inhabited the area. It also didn't help that I had nothing to protect myself if I were to be attacked. The rustling became louder and more frequent and I prepared myself for the worse. The creature jumped out of the bushes causing me to squeak in surprise and cover my face with my hands. I slowly removed my hands when nothing happened to me and looked down. A giggle bubbled past my lips as I took in the animal in front of me.

A dark brown rabbit with brilliant blue eyes looked around at his surroundings and sniffed the air. I knelt on the grassy ground and cooed in awe as the rabbit didn't flinch away from me. "Hey Bunbun. Look at how pretty you are!" I whispered, reaching my hand out to stroke the bunny's soft fur.

"Why, thank you but I would rather you call me charmingly handsome," the bunny said.

I shrieked and fell back in surprise. The rabbit just talked?! Animals don't talk. "You talk?!" I questioned in bewilderment.

"Of course," the bunny answered, his nose twitching constantly, "All animals talk in Narnia."

Narnia? Where on earth was Narnia? I berated myself for never paying much attention in geography or history because I daydreamed too much. Still I needed to find out where this place was exactly so that I could find my way back home. "Where is Narnia exactly?" I inquired.

The rabbit tilted his head in confusion before saying, "Well we're in Narnia right now."

I buried my head in my hands and groaned. The information was not helping me at all. I still had no idea of where I was and to make matters worse, I had no where to stay if I ended up being in Narnia for longer than expected. I could feel the bunny's paw of my knee as he tried to comfort me. I slowly removed my hands and stared at the animal before me. "Do you think there is anyone who can help me?" I pleaded sheepishly.

The animal appeared to be thinking and immediately started jumping in excitement. "I know who can help you! I'm pretty sure the kings and queens can help," he rambled jumping around me excitedly.

His actions brought me out of my slump slightly and I found myself giggling. I smiled slightly, "Do you think you can take me to them?"

The rabbit nodded and I got up from my seat on the ground. "Thank you so much. I'm Mari by the way," I said softly.

The rabbit grinned, "Nice to meet you Mari. My name is Fleetfoot."

After the introductions were made, the two of us set off to where the kings and queens would be. We moved through the thick brush for what felt like hours and Fleetfoot told me many stories about Narnia and its history. I had to admit that I would forget most of the stories as I was too distracted by my thoughts and the surroundings. My daydream started off in a forest similar to the one that Fleetfoot and I were traversing through. I was riding on a midnight black stallion with my royal blue dress, draped delicately around me. Like the dress in my past daydream, its sleeves ended at my wrists but was looser as it appeared that I was in the middle of a summer morning. The bodice of the dress was adorned with silver swirls that glittered when the sunlight caught it.

I looked over my shoulder and giggled as I slowed my horse down. "You know…for someone who said that he was taking me out, you're doing a lousy job," I teased lightly.

The same chestnut coloured horse from my previous dream stopped next to me and the rider on the horse scoffed lightly. The man smirked before saying, "I would say I'm doing an amazing job. You're the one who decided to speed ahead without waiting for me."

I stuck out my tongue playfully and got off my horse. "Whatever you say my love," I grinned as the man also dismounted his horse.

He held my hands tightly in his and as I stared up at the man, I couldn't help but notice that his eyes were the colour of coffee when it was freshly brewed. If I wasn't swooning before…well I was definitely swooning now. Pulling me closer, the man rested his forehead on mine. "I couldn't wait to have you all to myself Mari," he said softly before leaning in…

I felt something tug my skirt and I snapped out of my dream. I looked down to see that Fleetfoot was trying to get my attention. "Miss Mari are you okay?" the rabbit asked in concern.

I mentally cursed myself for getting distracted and daydreaming again. It's the reason I got in trouble with my mum in the first place. I shook my head and smiled down at the animal, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

The rabbit looked at me, as if he didn't believe me but decided to not bring it up. Fleetfoot pointed straight ahead, "Cair Paravel is straight ahead."

As I looked up to where Fleetfoot was pointing, I gasped. We were surrounded by young apple trees that were on their way to being tall giants that would bear sweet juicy fruits. There was a break in the foliage and ahead was a magnificent castle with a myriad of looming towers. The walls of the castle were a sandy beige and in the distance, I could hear and smell the sea. "Wow," I gasped, looking down at the rabbit in awe.

The bunny smirked…well what I could imagine was a smirk. "The kings and queens live there. Cair Paravel was also where they were crowned as kings and queens by the Great Lion," Fleetfoot explained.

"Great Lion?" I questioned in confusion.

He began to jump in excitement as he realised that I didn't know. Fleetfoot began to rant excitedly, "Aslan! He is also known as The Great Lion and is the true king of Narnia. He is magnificent Miss Mari…granted I've never been lucky enough to meet him in person. My father met him once before he passed away. Aslan was the one who saved him from the White Witch."

I smiled as the rabbit continued his rant about Aslan. Fleetfoot seemed to respect the lion even though he never met him and I admired that. Fleetfoot lead me towards Cair Paravel where I hoped that the kings and queens could help me with my situation.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia nor do I own the characters that are introduced in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I only own my OC Mari and any other characters that sound unfamiliar in the story.**

* * *

If anyone looked at Fleetfoot and I as we neared the castle, they would think that we were an odd pair; A hyper, overexcited rabbit and a lost, slightly dazed school girl. What an odd pair indeed. We approached a large golden gate which was guarded by two creatures that looked vaguely familiar. I gasped when I realised what those creatures were…Centaurs. Beings that were created from the realms of fiction, were right before my eyes in flesh and bone. I came to the realization that I definitely wasn't anywhere on earth because as far as I knew…Centaurs and talking animals did not exist. The pair of centaurs stood at attention and eyed us warily. "We need to speak to the kings and queens," Fleetfoot stated confidently.

The centaur to the right arched his eyebrow and replied formally, "Why should we let you see them?"

Fleetfoot pushed my leg slightly to make me step forward. "A daughter of Eve…just like our queens would like to see the kings and queens," The rabbit announced smugly.

The centaur on the left hesitated and the one on the right, sighed. "Very well then," the centaur said, "Allow me to escort you both. Mooncoil, please stand guard while I am away."

The centaur on the left, Mooncoil nodded sharply. "Follow me," the right centaur said as he began to walk into the castle.

Fleetfoot and I ran up to try and catch up with the long strides of the centaur. As we walked through the winding corridors of Cair Paravel, I couldn't help but admire the walls of the castle. Many paintings were hung on the walls which depicted great battles, former kings and queens and Narnian scenery. I wish I had time to admire each painting in depth but unfortunately the centaur was walking way too fast for me to even keep up, much less slow down to watch the pictures. After a few minutes of traversing through the corridors, the creature approached a pair of gigantic and intricate doors that were guarded by fauns. "Great more creatures that apparently exist in this world," I thought, observing the fauns who eyed us with interest.

"Amnus, Orvus. Can you tell High King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy that there is someone who needs to speak with them urgently," the centaur commanded.

The two fauns nodded and replied, "Yes, Sentry Cygnus."

Amnus and Orvus scurried away to fetch the kings and queens, leaving the three of us alone. The sentry stood silently and Fleetfoot began to shift nervously as his moment of confidence faded away. I began shuffling from one foot to the other until I stopped in panic at the realization that I had no idea how to interact with royalty. "Fleetfoot," I whispered urgently, "How do I act around the Kings and Queens?"

The rabbit began to reply when the two fauns returned to their posts. "They are ready for you," One of the fauns announced.

The two fauns began to open the doors and Sentry Cygnus began to lead Fleetfoot and I into the room. The room was massive with white marble walls and floor to ceiling windows that where lined with delicate gold. There was no doubt that the room was some sort of ballroom or hall. I looked forward and stared in awe as I looked at the thrones and the persons seated on the thrones.

The throne on the extreme right was occupied by a young woman with golden brown hair and blue eyes. On her head rested a silver crown that looked like delicate silver flowers intertwined with one another. She had a kind smile and I felt a little less nervous as I studied her. The woman next to her however, made me feel insecure as I looked at her. Her golden crown sat on top of long black hair that fell gracefully over her shoulders. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to be looking at me in interest and I tried to resist the urge to tuck my shirt back into my skirt and fix my tie to try and impress the graceful woman.

Next to the queen, on her left was a man with blond hair and blue eyes, the same colour as the queen next to him. His face was serious and he seemed to be looking at me in interest as well. The man next to him almost made me jolt in recognition. He looked familiar, with his dark brown hair and dark brown eyes that probably would be beautiful deep pools when he was relaxed. Now, however, his eyes were filled with cold calculation as if he was wary and waiting for me to make a mistake so he would have an excuse to throw me out of the castle. I cursed myself in my head as I realised that that was the man in my daydream from earlier that day. His expression in my daydream was totally different to his expression now and I couldn't help but feel nervous as I observed him.

The sentry finally stopped about 5 feet away from the thrones and bowed to the royals. "Your majesties," Sentry Cygnus greeted, "This rabbit and supposed daughter of Eve asked to speak to you all urgently."

Fleetfoot stood on his hind legs and bowed. "You have to curtsy Miss Mari," Fleetfoot advised in hushed tones.

I heeded his advice and curtsied albeit a bit clumsily. This drew a little giggle from the queen on the extreme right. I could feel my face warming up in embarrassment and I thanked the high heavens that my skin was dark enough for the blush not to show. I wasn't sure who spoke but I heard a deep voice that told us to rise. I did as the voice said and made eye contact with the golden haired man. "Tell me humble rabbit, what brings you here?" The man asked and I assumed that he was the same person who told us to rise.

"Allow me to introduce myself, your majesties," Fleetfoot announced, "I am Fleetfoot and the daughter of Eve next to me is Mari."

Fleetfoot began to describe the events that took place when he met me and thankfully left out the part about me freaking out about his speaking abilities. The royals seemed to pay attention to every word that the bunny had said and when Fleetfoot was finished with his retelling of the story, they seemed to be thinking before turning to me. "Can you tell us what happened before you met Fleetfoot?" the queen with the golden crown asked.

I nodded, "Well, you see… I was at home when the house started shaking but then the walls started to disintegrate and blow away like sand and I found myself in a forest. I had no idea where I was, so I decided to walk and maybe I would have been able to get help and it's around that time that I met Fleetfoot."

They nodded at my explanation and the king with blond hair motioned for his fellow monarchs to lean over so they could talk to each other quietly. I fidgeted nervously. What if they couldn't help me? What if I had to find a place to stay the night if they couldn't help me? Those thoughts ran through my head when the royals finally pulled away from the conversation. The queen with the silver crown spoke softly, "You can stay here in Cair Paravel. We have more than enough rooms to accommodate you in."

My shoulders slumped in relief and I smiled at them gratefully, "Thank you, your majesties."

The two queens smiled back and the older queen called for a faun who I didn't notice was in the hall with us until the queen called her over. "Blossom, Can you please escort Miss Mari to one of the guest chambers? Oh, and can you give Miss Mari some proper attire?" the beauty requested.

The faun nodded and motioned me to follow her. "Can you give me a minute please?" I asked.

I immediately knelt down before receiving a response from the faun. "Well Miss Mari, I guess this is where we shall part ways," Fleetfoot smiled.

I grinned, "Thank you Fleetfoot for all of your help. I hope that this isn't goodbye…I quite enjoyed your company."

The brown bunny hugged me and waved as I finally walked towards the faun and to my new life.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia nor do I own the characters that are introduced in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I only own my OC Mari and any other characters that sound unfamiliar in the story.**

**A special shoutout goes to treehugger00 for the kind review that was left in the last chapter. Thank you for your constructive review! Now let's get on with the story.**

* * *

The castle, Cair Paravel was in my opinion a maze. Every hallway looked the same and it felt like we would never arrive at our destination. The only good thing about the walk was that I could admire the myriad of paintings and tapestry that littered the walls of the castle corridors. Many of the paintings were of creatures that I wasn't even aware existed. Some paintings were of the Narnian landscape as we went deeper into the castle. The corridors were never ending and soon it felt like Blossom and I were walking through the same hallway over and over again. "This is great," I thought annoyed, "I'm going to get lost so easily."

We eventually stopped in front of a large oak door and Blossom opened the door. I gasped as I peered into my room. The bedroom was bigger than my room back home by far. The room was bathed in golden light from the large windows that let the light in. A giant king sized bed rested against the wall with red bedsheets and sheer white curtains surrounding the bed opposite to where I stood. To my right was a wardrobe and dresser that were both white and decorated with complicated gold patterns. There was also a huge vanity table that made me think about the amount of makeup and jewelry I could possibly fit there. To my left was a single chair and loveseat with a hazel coloured coffee table in the middle. A door was also a few feet away from the little sitting area and I walked towards it. My eyes grew wide as I observed a bathroom that was almost as huge as my bedroom. The bathtub was as huge as a small pond and I could feel myself get lightheaded from the amount of luxury I was being exposed to.

I made my way over to the bed and sank down on it, marveling at how soft and comfortable the mattress was. "I won't be able to wake up easily if I sleep in this bed," I thought as I sighed in content.

"Miss Mari, would you like if I draw a bath for you?" Blossom asked, pulling me out of my bliss.

I nodded, smiling gratefully at the faun, "Thank you Blossom. I would really appreciate it."

The faun hustled into the bathroom to prepare my bath. She left me to my musings only asking me occasionally what scents I wanted in my bath water. I was glad that the kings and queens allowed me to stay in the palace for I had no idea where I would have gone if they had refused me. At first glance, they seemed to be nice…most of them at least. I still couldn't shake off the chill I felt when the king at the far left looked at me. He had looked so cold and not like how he was in my daydream. "Stop that," I muttered to myself, "Your dreams mean nothing. They're just childish thoughts…it's just a coincidence that the king looks like the guy in your dream."

Blossom reappeared in my room to announce that my bath was ready and that she would be right outside the bathroom if I needed any assistance. I thanked the faun again and stepped into the extravagant bathroom. I took in the smell of lavender that I had requested Blossom to put in the bath and felt myself relax somewhat. Stripping out of my dirty and sweaty school uniform, I wrinkled my nose at the state it was in. Did I really address royalty when I looked like a mess? I finally sank into the pleasantly warm bath and began the process of cleaning myself. After I got myself clean, I giggled a little bit as I tried to get my feet to touch the other end of the tub but to no avail. Deciding that I had goofed off long enough, I stepped out of the bath and wrapped the towel that Blossom had left for me around my body.

I exited the bathroom and watched as Blossom rushed to me as soon as she saw me. "Let's choose a dress. I picked some styles and colours that would compliment your skin tone," Blossom explained leading me to the clothes.

The dresses as well as suitable undergarments were placed neatly on the bed. Blossom spent ten minutes putting on and showing me how to put on a corset (which wasn't as painful as I thought it would be) and then we spent another half an hour choosing and trying on dresses. When both Blossom and I were satisfied with the dress, the faun dragged me over to the vanity table that had a stool in front of it and sat me down so that she could do my hair. I stared at myself in the mirror as Blossom worked on my hair. The dress was a pale yellow which made my dark brown skin stand out and its flowy sleeves ended mid-forearm. The dress fell gracefully to my feet and I feared that I would trip if I walked too quickly. On my feet were a pair of silver flats which I was very thankful for. As Blossom combed my hair, I couldn't help but admire how the sunlight streaming through the windows showed the highlights of my brown hair. The faun braided strands of my relaxed hair and pulled the two plaits to the back of my head and secured them with a yellow ribbon with the rest of my hair falling in soft waves.

I starred at my reflection in awe. I couldn't remember the last time I looked this pretty. "Thank you so much Blossom. Your work is amazing," I gushed.

The faun blushed and accepted the praise silently. Blossom and I decided to chat for a few minutes with the faun talking about her life in Narnia and with me talking about the many mishaps I had in school. A knock on the door soon interrupted us and with Blossom quietly saying "Come in", the person opened the door. The person happened to be one of the queens and Blossom curtsied immediately. "Your Highness," Blossom addressed the queen.

The woman smiled, "Thank you for taking care of Miss Mari, Blossom. You may leave now."

The faun nodded and quickly said her goodbyes to me. I was then left alone with the queen and I felt my nerves take over. I curtsied and addressed the queen shyly, "Your Highness."

The woman smiled at my attempt to be polite. She strode towards me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Please, call me Lucy. I'm not keen on the formalities," the queen stated.

I grinned sheepishly. It was a shock to me that a royal, a queen…wanted to be on a first name basis with me. I definitely didn't feel worthy. I didn't feel like I deserved to be in a beautiful room, with a beautiful dress and then have a queen want me to address her by her first name. I pushed those dark thoughts aside as I realised that Lucy was waiting for my response. "Of course, Lucy," I replied, "If I'm being honest, I'm glad I wouldn't have to curtsy every time I see you."

The woman giggled and I smiled. "I came to invite you for lunch with my siblings, Peter, Susan and Edmund," Lucy stated.

My smile faltered a bit. I wasn't sure if I quite knew all the table etiquette, but it would be rude of me to reject an invitation from the queen to dine with the other monarchs. I nodded, "I accept the invitation though I must warn you, I don't know how precise my table manners are. I'm sorry in advance."

This pulled a hysterical laugh out of the queen. I stared at her in shock. She definitely didn't act like those queens I saw in movies and televisions show who were cold and sometimes manipulative. Instead, she acted like a friend. "Don't worry," she reassured me, "If you're lost just look at me. Lunch will be starting in five minutes, so we best get a move on now."

I agreed and the woman led me out of my room. On the way to the dining hall, Lucy engaged me in multiple conversations. I found out that Lucy was only a year older than I was and that her siblings and herself were going into their fifth year of ruling Narnia. I, in turn, told Lucy about the countless mishaps I had in my chemistry classes. My stories made Lucy laugh and I was surprised. No one back home ever thought my accidents were funny. Everyone back home was usually angry or annoyed with me, so it felt refreshing to have someone actually think my accidents were humorous. We arrived at the dining hall and I marveled at the sight before me. The hall was large with windows that overlooked the sea and the room was very airy. A long oak table was in the middle of the room and surrounding it were white chairs with high golden backs. The hall was massive enough to host huge banquets but now it would only host the four monarchs and myself.

As Lucy and I walked past the many chairs of the hall, I could see three persons seated at the far end of the table. The king with blonde hair sat at the head of the table with the other king and queen sitting on either side of the table. The older king and queen appeared to be in an intense discussion whilst the dark haired king watched the scene with amusement swimming in his eyes. Lucy cleared her throat as we got nearer to the trio and they looked up at us. "We're here!" the girl announced, motioning me to sit next to the dark haired queen.

Once I was seated next to her sister, Lucy ran over to sit directly opposite me. I smiled at her gratefully as I realised that she did it on purpose so that I wouldn't be lost when it came to the etiquette. The queen next to me turned towards me, "I'm Queen Susan. It's a pleasure to meet you Mari."

I grinned, "Likewise your highness."

"Oh no…even though I introduced myself as queen, please call me Susan if that makes you more comfortable," the queen smiled kindly.

I gave her request some thought before I responded. "Can I call you Queen Susan until I feel comfortable calling you Susan?" I suggested.

I waited anxiously for her reaction and to my surprise she nodded, having approved of my suggestion. The blonde King was the next person to introduce himself. "I'm High King Peter. You can do the same for me as you are doing with Susan if you'd like," The king advised.

He then looked towards his male sibling and sighed, "And the person who refuses to introduce himself is King Edmund."

I glanced at King Edmund. The amusement that was in his eyes minutes before was replaced with a hard, cold expression. Was it because I joining them for lunch? "No," I thought, "It's not that."

The king looked like he didn't want me in the castle. I felt myself become uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze and insecure thoughts began to run through my head. Did my hair get messy on the way to the dining hall? Did my dress have stains on it? Did I still have dirt on my face? My anxious thoughts ceased for a moment as food was placed on the table. A plate was placed in front of me and my mouth watered at the sight of the food. On my plate was a pasta dish with a savoury, crème sauce with fresh tomatoes and a breaded meat on top. The servants started filling our glasses with a deep red drink that made my mouth water even more. I thanked the person filling my glass and they curtly nodded before scurrying away. I looked at Lucy as my hand inch closer towards a fork, so I could start digging in immediately, but Lucy shook her head minutely. I retracted my hand while giving her a confused look. Motioning to her brother, I understood what she was trying to convey. We weren't allowed to start our meal until the High King said so. King Peter looked at us exasperatedly, "Really? You all know very well that the rule is for only banquets."

Queen Susan and Lucy began giggling. "Sorry," Queen Susan apologized, "But Mrs. Beaver always said that we should practice even if there isn't a banquet."

King Edmund cracked a small smile at the comment but as he saw that I was staring at him, his cold mask was put in place once again. The High King told us that we could eat and with Lucy's small coaching, I dug into the meal before me. I had to suppress the moan that threatened to escape my lips as I ate the pasta. My taste buds were attacked with flavours that my mind could not comprehend and I felt myself craving for more of the dish. Lucy giggled as she noticed my expression. "I must say Mari, you look very nice in that dress," Queen Susan complimented, "Blossom did a very good job."

I blushed at the comment. I couldn't believe that the beautiful queen complimented me like that and I could feel my cheeks warming up more. I sipped the red drink that tasted like hibiscus tea to hide my smile. "Thank you," I replied simply causing the queen to smile.

A scoff was heard and my head snapped towards the king next to Lucy. The king looked at me with a hard gaze and I shrunk into my seat. My anxiety returned and all eyes turned to the king. "What's wrong Ed?" Lucy asked.

King Edmund's eyes were trained on me as he spoke. "Don't you think it's funny that this girl shows up just when we are having conflicts with the Governor of the Lone Islands?"

The table grew silent and High King Peter sighed, "Not this again Edmund, we already talked about this and Mari's story sounds legitimate."

The younger king glared at the High King. "She could have convinced the rabbit to go along with her lie to gain access to Cair Paravel," the king explained, "We're already having problems with the Lone Islands, I wouldn't be surprised if the Governor sent her to spy on us or overthrow us."

Tensions began to rise as the queens tried to get their brother to stop talking about the topic in front of me and High King Peter warned lowly, "Edmund, that's enough."

While all this was going on, I could feel my anxiety and most importantly my anger start to rise as I understood what the King was implying. This guy thought I was a traitor… a spy. He never spoke a word to me before or even got to know me but he thought I was going to betray them. I stood up abruptly, my chair dragging loudly behind me making the monarchs look at me in surprise.

"No," I whispered, "Say whatever you want but let me say something first…In the span of a few hours, I've been suspended from school, had my mother yell and be disappointed in me and on top of all that, end up in a place that I have never heard of before and interact with creatures that I never thought existed. I was and still am very terrified about being in this situation. The only thing that's keeping me from going crazy and having a panic attack is the humanity that your siblings have shown me…the humanity that you clearly lack King Edmund. So, you can say all you want about me or speculate about who I am but it's not going to get rid of the fact that you have been a terrible host to me so far!"

I didn't realise that during my speech, my voice became progressively louder until I was basically screaming at the king. The king who I was screaming at was red in the face with anger and I felt a sense of cruel satisfaction knowing that my words probably hurt him. My chest heaved at my outburst and I could feel tears forming in my eyes. "Now if you'll please let me be excused, I would like to be by myself right now," I choked out.

Lucy began to stand, but King Peter raised his hand subtly to tell her to let me be as I ran out of the dining hall.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N **

**I am back with another chapter though my problems from my previous author's note still remains. I do a bit of a change in point of view at the beginning but please note that once it goes back to the first person point of view, that we will be back with Mari. Again I am so sorry for such a long wait but alas the show must go on.**

**I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia nor do I own the characters that are introduced in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I only own my OC Mari and any other characters that sound unfamiliar in the story.**

* * *

The High King and Queens of Narnia watched in shock as their guest, Mari, yelled at their brother and then promptly stormed out. The Just King was red in the face as he seethed in anger at the girl's outburst. "How dare she speak to me like that!" Edmund growled as he tried to rise from his seat.

Peter glared at his brother, "Sit down, don't get me started on your behavior."

Lucy pulled her brother by his sleeve and he sat back down. The two queens didn't know what they should say to their irate brother, but they were appalled by his actions. The way he acted was almost like how he was before they arrived at Narnia and this worried the queens greatly. The High King was also worried for his brother, but his worry was overtaken from the anger that he felt. This was not how they treated guests and as far as Peter was concerned his brother's actions reflected badly on the rest of them.

"You went too far Ed," Peter finally spoke up after of few minutes of tense silence.

The Just King slammed his palms on the table, making the glasses and plates shake slightly. The Valiant Queen jumped at her brother's behavior and this was the last straw for the Gentle Queen. "Enough!" the queen shouted.

Queen Susan stood from her seat and stared intently at her angry sibling. She took a deep breath to try and compose herself, "Mari only acted like that because of your accusations. You provoked her with that statement, and you need to apologise to her. We don't treat our guests like this."

Edmund scoffed, "I don't regret saying it and I'm not going to apologise Susan,"

"It appears Edmund," Lucy rose with disappointment in her eyes, "that you have forgotten how scared we were when we first arrived in Narnia. Mari is even more scared than we were because she arrived in a strange place alone. She's right Edmund…you weren't the kindest to her."

Lucy exited the hall and left her two other siblings to deal with Edmund as she had to find Mari and make sure she was okay. Susan was the next person to rise, she started at her brother in disappointment and sighed. "It's a shame," Susan started, "The meal was exceptionally delicious today and we didn't get to enjoy it properly."

The queen exited the room and then it was only the two kings that remained. They stared at each other for a few moments before Peter stood. The High King ran a hand down his face in frustration, "You're a king, Edmund, start acting like one."

With that, High King Peter exited the hall, leaving his younger brother alone with his angry thoughts.

* * *

I didn't know how long I was running through the endless corridors of Cair Paravel and I definitely didn't know how long I was crying for. All I knew was that my lungs were starting to burn from the lack of oxygen as my heaving sobs did nothing for my poor respiratory system. My footsteps finally slowed as I tried to catch my breath. This didn't stop my tears however as I realized what I had just done. I yelled at a king. My anger overtook me to the point that I had disrespected royalty.

"He deserved it," my subconscious tried to reason, "He was making false accusations without looking for evidence."

I leaned against the stone wall of the corridor, "I was wrong too. Gosh I shouldn't have yelled."

This brought out a fresh wave of tears but instead of anger, they were tears of embarrassment. I felt terrible and I probably made a fool of myself in front of the people who so kindly took me in. I slid down the wall and buried my face in my hands. What if they didn't want me staying here anymore because I disrespected the king? Was that a form of treason? Oh god, if it was treason…were they gonna sentence me to death? I released a sob at the thought. I really had the worst luck. "I should probably go back and apologise for my behavior. Maybe they will be more forgiving if I apologized without anyone telling me that I had to," I thought wiping my tears.

I got up from the ground and looked around at my surroundings. I didn't look at where I was going when I ran and as a result, I had no idea where in the castle I was. I groaned at my bad luck. "Today is not my day," I said aloud.

I started walking aimlessly, hoping that a painting would trigger my memory or something so that I would know where I was going. It was no use though as nothing sparked my memory and I continued to wander deeper and deeper into Cair Paravel. My body wasn't the only thing that wandered as my mind wasn't quite with me as I walked.

* * *

The walls that surrounded me were dirty and covered with years of grime, dust and blood. The cell that I was held captive in was so small, that I barely had room to stretch my legs when I sat down. The green dress I was wearing was almost as dirty as the walls of my prison and my arm still throbbed from the cut that looked like it was caused by a knife. I grabbed the bars of my cell and shook them in vain. They weren't going to budge. I felt my heart drop at the thought and at the sound of footsteps that approached me, but the person or persons never came into my view.

"Prince…are you sure that this is going to work?" a voice asked with a worried edge to his voice.

I heard a stomp that I assumed was from the so-called prince. "It has to work!" the prince whined childishly, "That stupid King Edmund likes Lady Marion too much to leave her here! He will come back for her and in exchange, he will give me Queen Susan."

The other person hesitated, "But…what if he doesn't?"

The prince apparently didn't appreciate the question as he bellowed, "I DON'T CARE! KILL HER, TORTURE HER, KEEP HER AS A SLAVE! I JUST WANT QUEEN SUSAN AS MY WIFE!"

The persons retreated and I relaxed. The country I was trapped in clearly wasn't a friendly place especially with rulers like the prince. I just hoped that by Aslan's mane that I would be safe, and that Susan wouldn't have to be with that cruel man. Edmund would come for me… I was sure of it.

* * *

I took a deep breath as my daydream ended. This was the first time that I actually had a full dream without being interrupted and it hurt like hell. My arm hurt from where dream me had gotten cut and a headache was starting to form at the back of my head. I stumbled a bit and looked around. It looked as if I was even more lost than I already was but the increasing pain from my head stopped me from freaking out. The pain was starting to get so intense that I could barely keep my eyes open and the urge to throw up appeared.

I leaned against a wall and slowly sat down. "Breathe Mari," I thought as my heart raced and the pain got worse, "Maybe if I close my eyes, the pain will go away?"

I closed my eyes as my headache got to the point where it felt like my skull was being split open. In my pain filled daze, I could hear hurried footsteps approach me. "Mari?" the person called out to me.

I winced as the voice rattled my brain. The person got closer and I could feel their hand on my shoulder. "My head," I whispered, "Please help me."

The hand left my shoulder and the person ran to the way they came and a few minutes later, I heard multiple footsteps approach me. I felt myself being lifted up and carried and I hoped that I was being taken to my room. I was placed on something soft and my mouth was forced open. A drop of liquid fell on my tongue and my body instantly warmed. My headache disappeared and the throbbing in my arm dulled. Whimpering, I slowly opened my eyes in fear that my headache would return. I squinted at the light that entered my eyes and could make out the features of a worried Queen Lucy. "Lucy?" I mumbled.

The girl's head snapped towards my frame and immediately engulfed me in a hug. "Mari? Are you okay? How are you feeling now?" Lucy rambled.

I brought my hand up to my forehead and spoke softly, "I feel…surprisingly better. What happened?"

Lucy sat next to me on my bed, "I should be asking you that! I was searching for you after you left the dining hall and I found you in an empty corridor, writhing in pain. I ran to get the healer and we brought to your room. Healer Rose had no idea what was causing the pain in your head, so I used my cordial…I panicked."

"Cordial?" I questioned.

"Oh…" Lucy brought out the aforementioned cordial, "One drop can heal any injury. We didn't know what was happening and I panicked when I saw how much you were affected by the pain, so I used it."

I sat up and hugged the girl. "Thank you, Lucy," I whispered, hugging her tightly.

She returned the gesture and we pulled apart when the faun who I found out was Healer Rose approached us. She gave me a teacup filled with peppermint tea. "Do you think you can tell us what happened before we found you? Maybe there was something that triggered the pain and it will help me to heal you better."

I hesitated. Should I tell them about my dreams? "No," I thought, "It probably means nothing."

"I was angry at the way King Edmund treated me. I probably got a migraine from that," I lied.

The healer seemed to accept my explanation and left the room, to leave the queen and myself alone. We were silent for a while and I tried to gather the courage to apologise. "I'm sorry for yelling and storming out at lunch," I finally said.

Queen Lucy's head snapped up immediately. "No," She protested, "Edmund shouldn't have provoked you like that! He was wrong for accusing you like that and I'm sorry that he's being so harsh."

I shook my head, placing my hand on her shoulder, "As much as I appreciate your apology, you shouldn't apologise for King Edmund's mistakes. I'd rather if he acknowledges that he's wrong and apologises to me personally. I was already scared being in an unfamiliar place and him accusing me didn't make things better."

Lucy nodded, "I can accept that… You should get some rest Mari. You've had a tiring day, I'll send someone to wake you for dinner."

Lucy left my room and I settled down to take a nap. This day was just a rollercoaster of emotions and events and I felt disappointed at the way I handled everything. There was nothing that I could do about all that now. I sighed and snuggled under the covers. My exhaustion took over as my head hit the soft pillows and I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Trees loomed over me as I walked through the wood. If it wasn't for the full moon, I have would been in complete darkness and probably would have bumped into multiple trees by now. I was dressed in a thin nightgown that fell to my ankles and the cool wind of the night raised goosebumps on my bare arms. I didn't know what or who I was looking for, but I could hear my name being called. The sound seemed to surround me, and I broke into a run as I tried to get to the source of the voice. "Where are you?" I shouted as I looked around wildly.

I surged forward as I searched even more frantically. Branches scratched my face and my bare feet started to slip in the damp dirt. My muscles were screaming for me to stop but my brain was telling me that I needed help and I needed it now. Slowing down against my better judgement, I struggled to breathe as my chest heaved.

Tears brimmed in my eyes and I could feel the desperation roll off me in waves. The many cuts on my face bled freely and as my tears streamed down my face, the cuts burned but they did not hurt as much as my heart did. Falling to my knees, I let out choked sobs as my emotions took over. I somehow managed to choke out, "Please, I need you."

* * *

I woke with a start. I gasped, clutching my chest in panic. The dream felt so real and I could feel the beginnings of a panic attack starting to form. Bringing my knees to my chest, I took deep breaths as I tried to calm myself. I began calming down though the feeling of terror and desperation still remained. What was even that dream? Was the dream caused by the stress that I had experienced today? Or was the dream a sign of more suffering to come for me? I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. It appeared that I had slept for far longer than I had intended as my room was shrouded in darkness. I probably missed dinner too. I groaned as I realised that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep soon, so I rose from the bed and did yet another dumb thing for the day…I exited my room.

The hall outside my room was much brighter than my room due to the torches that lined the walls, glowing enough for me to see. I wandered down the corridor, with my dress flowing around me and my bare feet padding against the cold stone floor. The castle was deathly silent…so I was scared out of my wits when I heard my name being called. "Mari," the voice whispered.

I jumped almost a foot into the air and looked around. "Who's there?" I whispered, not sure if everyone else in the castle was asleep or not.

The voice uttered my name again. The voice sounded light and wispy and if it wasn't so silent, I would have thought that it was the wind. I followed the sound of the voice as it continued calling my name. The voice carried me through the various corridors of Cair Paravel until I finally ended up outside in a garden that had neatly trimmed rose bushes. I walked through the cobblestone path that the rose bushes surrounded, with the voice leading me in a seemingly pointless chase until a clearing came into view with a stone bench in the middle. On said bench, sat a king that I thought would have been sleeping. He sat on the bench with his legs stretched out in front of him and his head titled towards the sky. It was then that I noticed that the moon was out as the moonlight made his blond hair shine. The king before me looked so peaceful and I didn't want to disturb the Zen that he had going on. I began backing away slowly until I accidentally snapped a twig. The twig however was not what caught the king's attention…my yelp of pain did as the twig that I snapped stuck my foot. "Mari?" he asked in concern.

I smiled sheepishly, "Hi, King Peter…Sorry if I disturbed you."

The High King shook his head and patted the space next to him. "You haven't. You can join me if you want," King Peter offered.

I walked over and sat down. The two of us were silent until King Peter spoke up. "Lucy said that you weren't feeling well so she didn't bother to wake you for dinner. Do you feel better now?" the man asked in concern.

I nodded, "Yeah, I feel better now. I'm sorry if made you, Queen Lucy and Queen Susan worried."

"It's alright, we all feel a bit under the weather at times," he reassured me.

I grinned slightly and looked up at the sky. The moon was full, and a myriad of stars littered the sky. The garden was silent, and I felt pretty peaceful. "If you don't mind me asking, King Peter…why are you out here? I can only assume that it's really late right now," I questioned hesitantly.

King Peter sighed and I was nervous that I may have overstepped my boundaries. He was a king after all, and I didn't know if it was my place to ask him something that may have been personal to him. "I couldn't sleep," he admitted, "The way the lunch went bothered me and I came out here to clear my mind."

I bit my lip. Was this the moment where the High King would say that I wasn't welcomed here anymore? Or was I going to be punished for my actions? I whispered shyly, "Bothered how?"

"Bothered by the way King Edmund spoke to you…He shouldn't have done that to you. We don't treat our guests harshly," King Peter explained.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted during lunch," I apologized.

The High King waved off my apology, "Though the situation could have been dealt with better, it wasn't your fault. I will accept your apology nonetheless."

I smiled slightly, "So you guys won't kick me out or punish me to death?"

The man glanced at me in shock, "No, of course not! Did we really give off that impression?"

I giggled in embarrassment, "A little…sorry."

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable here. You have nowhere to go so Cair Paravel can be your home. You will always be welcomed here Mari," the king explained.

My shoulders relaxed at the statement. I felt so much better knowing that the High King at least didn't see me as a threat and that I was welcomed to stay. I smiled gratefully, "Thank you King Peter."

He reciprocated the smile and stood up from his seat. "Allow me to walk you back to your room. I have a feeling you don't really know where to go," he suggested.

I grinned sheepishly and the king guided me back inside Cair Paravel. As we walked, I made sure to pay special attention to corridors that we walked through so that I wouldn't get lost again. Soon enough, we arrived at my room and I bid the High King goodnight. I walked into my room and looked at the place I would be staying for god knows how long. I felt less stressed out knowing that I wasn't going to be kicked out or would have to find a place to rest my head at night. Sure, it appeared like King Edmund hated my guts, but I had the support of others and for that I was glad.

Maybe Narnia wouldn't be so bad.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**So...it's been a month. I'm really sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. I spent a week on vacation and for the rest of the weeks...I was being lazy and had no motivation. I really hope you guys like this chapter even.**

**I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia nor do I own the characters that are introduced in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I only own my OC Mari and any other characters that sound unfamiliar in the story.**

* * *

I whined softly as golden sunlight streamed though my closed eyelids. I finally willed my eyes to open as the sunlight became bothersome. Sitting up, I ran a hand through my hair, wincing at the knots that my fingers met and how dry, my hair had become. I swung my feet off the bed and stood from my comfy bed to make my way to one of the many windows in my suite. The sun was out yet I had no idea of the time of day. Birds sang joyful tunes and the trees seemed to dance at the sounds. This made me smile. Yesterday, Narnia seemed so scary but now, I felt so at peace. I finally broke my gaze from the landscape as I heard the door open. Blossom soon appeared from behind the door and smiled. "Good morning Miss Mari! Did you sleep well?" the faun greeted.

I nodded, "Good morning, yeah I slept well. Yesterday was tiring."

The faun hustled around the room, gathering my garments for the day. "I can imagine," Blossom started, "I heard you were feeling unwell…Queen Lucy said that she wanted to let you sleep instead of waking you up for dinner. You're probably hungry right now."

I opened my mouth to respond but my stomach beat me to it as it growled loudly. The two of us giggled and began the process of getting ready for the day. As Blossom began tying the ribbons of my lilac dress, someone knocked on the door. Blossom came to the door and spoke to the person briefly before she returned to me. "The royals are inviting you to breakfast…you're going right?" Blossom asked.

I sighed and bit the fingernail on my index finger, "Of course. Although I have a feeling that only three out of the four monarchs really want me there."

"King Edmund is…difficult to deal with at first but after a while, he will warm up to you," she explained.

"Yeah I guess…wait…How did you know I was talking about King Edmund?" I turned my head to try and look at the faun.

She poked me in the back playfully, "News travels fast in Cair Paravel. Everyone knew about your fight at lunch."

I groaned. This was just great…everyone knew about my blunder from yesterday. My cheeks warmed in embarrassment as I hung my head in shame. "Hey," Blossom shook my shoulder slightly, "You were in the right in my opinion though…you shouldn't yell at royalty like that. You should be lucky that the kings and queens are so nice. If it was anyone else, you would have been banished or worse."

I pouted as Blossom made that point. I really was lucky. Blossom finished up with tying my dress and sat me down to do my hair. She put a sweet-smelling cream in my hair that she explained would add some moisture to my hair. The faun then French braided my hair and I was ready to head down to the hall. Blossom escorted me and made sure to point out landmarks so that I wouldn't get lost again. We entered the brightly light banquet hall and noticed that three out of the four royals were present. "Good morning King Peter, Queen Susan and Lucy," I greeted, taking a seat next to Lucy.

The monarchs returned my greeting as we waited for King Edmund to enter for us to start eating. Lucy touched my shoulder gently, "Do you feel better Mari?"

I nodded and smiled at everyone at the table, "I feel so much better. Thank you for taking care of me."

The queen beamed at me and we launched ourselves into conversation. Queen Susan was in the process of retelling a story that left Lucy and King Peter in stitches when a certain brown haired king stumbled sleepily into the dinning hall. King Edmund's silver crown was slightly askew on his chocolate locks as he sat next his older sister. "Good morning to you too, Ed," Peter greeted in slight amusement as he took in the sight before him.

The man grumbled sleepily in response and we all tried to suppress our giggles. With the arrival of the king, breakfast began, and I indulged in the various pastries, jams and breakfast foods such as the scrambled eggs and sausages. As we ate, Lucy and I discussed the lovely meal that we were having. I suddenly remembered something that I had to do and quietly asked Lucy to get the attention of her siblings. "What is it Lu?" Peter asked.

"Mari has something that she wants to say," the girl explained, drawing attention to me.

I sat up a little straighter, "Well, I would like to apologise to everyone about my behavior yesterday. It was rude of me and I hope that everyone can forgive me…especially you, King Edmund."

"Well, I accept your apology Mari and I'm sure Lucy and Peter forgive you too," Queen Susan replied, looking at her brother with mild annoyance, "If only some of us would apologise regardless of if they were wrong or not."

This statement made King Edmund scowl at his older sister as he stabbed his sausages violently. It would appear that two may have been arguing about the incident since yesterday. King Peter, sensing the tension in the air, piped up, "Susan, why don't you tell Mari about the ball?"

The queen's mood immediately changed, "Well…the ball is two months away but it's our coronation anniversary ball. I really want you to attend Mari and maybe we can introduce you to the Narnia people on that night too," Susan rambled.

Lucy whispered in my ear, "Susan is the best at planning balls so she always gets excited when balls come up."

I giggled and my attention turned back to the older queen. "Which reminds me," Queen Susan said turning towards me, "Because I want to introduce you to the kingdom at the ball, I asked our best teachers to teach you everything about Narnia….its history, the stories, the people, the geography everything. I also asked for you to be in etiquette classes."

King Edmund was sipping tea when the last sentence was uttered and he snorted into the drink in amusement. I chose to ignore the King and smiled at the beautiful queen. "Thank you so much for the lessons, Queen Susan. I am very excited to learn as much as I can about Narnia," I responded truthfully.

The queen beamed at me before turning to her brother, "Mari won't be alone in the etiquette classes as I also want you to go do the etiquette classes too, Edmund."

This time, the king choked on his tea and looked at the queen in disbelief. "Why am I doing etiquette classes again?" He exclaimed, coughing.

King Peter glared at his brother, "Do we really need to explain?"

"But I'm a king! I learned more than enough etiquette," King Edmund whined.

"You're a king but you're not acting like one lately," King Peter argued, "The incident with Mari yesterday was proof enough."

The brown haired king sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, "So everyone thinks that what I did was wrong then? I am still of the belief that I am right so if any of you expect me to apologise then you are mistaken."

King Edmund then stood up from his seat and walked out of the dining hall. Queen Lucy frowned and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Ignore him…even if he doesn't want to go through with the classes, Susan and Peter will force him to," she whispered.

I smiled at the queen next to me and asked Queen Susan when my lessons were supposed to start. "Well, I wanted to give you a tour of Cair Paravel today as it wouldn't do to have you wandering over the castle all lost and confused. Your lessons will start tomorrow from 8 am sharp, we usually have breakfast early so you'll eat breakfast with us before going to your lessons," the queen explained.

I nodded my head in agreement and the four of us finished the last of our breakfast before going our separate ways. Queen Susan immediately linked her arm with mine. "Let's get this tour started, shall we?" the queen announced, smiling gently at me.

* * *

Cair Paravel was a beautiful castle and if it wasn't for the fact that Queen Susan was giving me a tour, I would have purposefully gotten lost and explore the vast palace. Susan took me all over Cair Paravel and pointed out all the rooms and their uses. We visited the kitchens, the throne room, the ball room, the various bedrooms, sitting rooms and studys. We then went outside to tour the gardens, stables and training area. I marveled at the well kept grounds as I finally got to see them in the sunlight and wasn't the least bit surprised when we went to the stables and the horses talked back to us. We spent a few more moments outside, taking in the sun's warm rays before heading back inside to look at the final few rooms. Queen Susan stopped in front of two large oak doors. "This will be where your lessons will take place…This…" the queen started while pushing the doors open, "Is the library."

My mouth fell open as I took in the sight before me. All four walls contained built in bookshelves that housed far more books than I could count. The room was illuminated by a large chandelier that cast a warm glow around the spacious room and caused certain books that contained golden writing on their spines to glitter delicately. The room also contained a few couches for just lounging and reading and tables with chairs for when one wanted to sit down and seriously study or work. I stepped more into the room and noticed breaks in the bookshelf and book pattern on the wall opposite to me that held windows that let in cool sea breeze into the otherwise stuffy library. "Do you like it?" the queen questioned, noting my amazed expression.

"I think," I gulped, "I will never leave this room…I'm too in love with it."

We both laughed at my statement and finished up the tour of the castle.

* * *

I awoke the next day feeling refreshed and excited for the new day ahead. When my tour of the castle ended, Queen Susan and I went to the dining hall as it was lunchtime (Funny how time flies when something interesting is happening). We had a delicious meal with Lucy and King Peter and King Edmund was surprisingly absent. "He's probably still mad at us," Lucy had sighed as we ate.

I felt angry for Lucy's sake. I barely knew the man and it was wrong of me to judge him but King Edmund was incredibly rude and moody. I dreaded when I would have to spend a few hours in class with the king as it was clear that he didn't like me.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as Blossom came in to help me get ready. After two days, we fell into a routine and were able to complete our tasks in record time. Today, I was wearing a light blue dress and my hair was pulled into a low ponytail. "Are you ready for your lessons Mari?" Blossom asked as she put the finishing touches on my dress.

I bit my lip and shrugged, "I'm excited to learn more about Narnia and I am grateful that King Peter and the queens are doing so much for me but I'm not looking forward to etiquette classes with King Edmund. It's like he doesn't want me here and it's starting to feel really uncomfortable for me."

Blossom agreed as we made our way to the dining hall. "I can imagine how you feel…King Edmund can be difficult at times, but he is a good king and he lives up to his title," the faun explained.

"What is his title?" I turned to look at her, my curiosity peaked.

Blossom grinned at my question and replied, "King Edmund the Just."

I almost tripped over my feet and stared at the faun in disbelief. She cackled at my expression and I pushed her shoulder lightly. We quickly made our way to the dining hall and surprisingly breakfast went without a hitch. There were no arguments from King Edmund and I enjoyed a peaceful breakfast before my lessons began.

After breakfast, I walked to the gorgeous library and opened the huge doors. Sitting in one of the plush couches was a badger who perked up when I walked in. "You must be Miss Mari. I am Cressrester and I will be your tutor," the badger introduced, walking up to me.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Mari," I smiled.

The next few hours was spent with Cressrester teaching me the history of Narnia. Narnia was a lot older than I expected as we still hadn't completed King Frank and Queen Helen's rule when lunch rolled around. We had a light lunch and after, Cressrester decided to entertain me with some Narnian stories. Unfortunately, my lesson with Cressrester the badger was ending soon after and I would have to endure two hours of etiquette classes with a certain king. My tutor left and I was by myself for a few minutes until the library door opened again. The Just King entered the library whilst talking to a beaver. There was a soft smile on his face as he spoke to the animal and a look in his eyes that I could not decipher. It took the pair a few seconds to notice my presence but when they did, the beaver smiled.

"Hello dear, I am Mrs. Beaver. I'm going to teach you etiquette for the ball," she announced warmly.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Beaver. I'm Mari," I greeted warmly.

I chanced glancing at the king and wasn't surprised to see that the smile he had on his face a minute ago disappeared and the look in his eyes turned cold. I ignored the man as I turned my attention back to the beaver. "Well, the first thing I will be teaching you is posture," she explained, "Royals and their court do not slouch and as such, when you are in the presence of royalty, your posture must be right. Edmund dear, would you like to demonstrate what I mean?"

The king in question nodded and turned one of the wooden chairs by the tables around to face us. He sat down and I had to admit that the way he sat showed that he was royalty. Mrs. Beaver then beckoned me to come closer. "As you can see, his back is straight but his chest is not pushed out. His head is also centered…with his chin not too high and not too low," she explained, "You can achieve this by practicing with a book on your head. If your posture is incorrect, the book will fall and you will have to try again."

Mrs. Beaver handed both of us a book each and motioned for us to try out the technique. I placed a chair next to King Edmund, sat down and tried to keep the book on my head. The book barely stayed on for a minute. The book slowly slid from my head and fell to the floor with a loud thud. I grinned sheepishly and picked up the book to try again. I didn't even last thirty seconds as the book fell again. A snicker was heard and my head snapped towards the king next to me. His lips were tugged into a smirk as he listened to me struggle. The book was rested on his head perfectly and I scowled at the sight. He was clearly laughing at me and that just made me more determined to get it down right. I narrowed my eyes at the king's smirking face and placed the book on my head again. For what it was worth, the book stayed on my head for five minutes before my neck started to hurt from the position that it was not used to. I tried to move to ease the pressure but that resulted in the book falling once again.

I sighed in frustration and balled my fists up. I tilted my head back to try not to cry from my failed attempt. I could hear King Edmund snickering again and I bit my lip in anger before aggressively snatching the book from the floor and almost knocking myself out with the force I used to place the book on my head.

This was going to be a long lesson.


End file.
